Happy Sunday!
I spent the week at Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site near Jacksboro. Northernmost of the Texas frontier forts, Fort Richardson's main job was to protect settlers moving in to the area, and to force Indians into permanent reservations.
But there is more to it. Fort Richardson was in operation as a frontier outpost from 1867 to 1878, but it actually had more lives. It was a training ground for the Army reserves immediately before World War II.
Folks, this is the most well preserved Fort I've been to yet. And, thanks to Darrell, the interpretive guide who took me around the fort, I've learned that it has some pretty good stories, also. But more on that in a bit.
In the 1870's Texas was a wild place. Sure, you had civilization in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, etc., but out on the prairie, it was new, open and dangerous. It was the classic battle: The Indians wanted to keep their land and their way of life and the settlers wanted to expand into that same land.
By 1867, the settlers were ahead on points. The Army had succeeded in moving most of the Comanche and Kiowa onto reservations in Oklahoma. But the US government wasn't keeping to their promises and supplies and food were scarce, at best.
Plus, treaties were ignored or broken, and the Indians were getting pretty tired of it. They began raiding across the state line into the Texas panhandle area.
The Army sent more troops after the raiders, and of course that meant bloody battles. A particularly nasty one happened in July 1870, although the cause, and outcome were kinda unusual.
You see, Kicking Bird, a Kiowa chief actually saw the writing on the wall and figured that the best thing for his people was to accept the government's terms and keep the peace. The only problem with that was some of the other warriors didn't agree.
Kicking Bird realized that he had to show strength or he would lose control of his tribe, so he organized a raiding party. Now, he only wanted to show strength and not harm innocents, so he ordered his people to leave civilians alone.
A few malcontents ignored these orders and attacked a mail stagecoach, which of course led the Army to dispatch soldiers from Fort Richardson to track down the perpetrators.
When the soldiers found the Kiowa 2 days later, they realized they were outnumbered 2 to 1, but fought anyway. The battle lasted into the evening before the Kiowas backed off and let the soldiers return to the fort, exhausted.
Interesting note here. The Army only lost three soldiers, with another 11 wounded. The Kiowas lost 15. And Captain McClellan, the Army commander actually praised Kicking Bird's leadership in battle. I think the old Chief proved his point.
Another note: The Army awarded McClellan's unit with 18 Medals of Honor, the most ever awarded as a result of a single battle.
Later on, the fort was a training center and installation for the Texas National Guard. At the onset of World War II, the soldiers were sent to Java to assist in the protection of the island against Japanese invaders. They were captured when Java fell in 1942, and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners of war.
These men, along with other captured US and British soldiers and sailors were put to work building the Burma to Siam railway, a brutal undertaking which caused the deaths of many prisoners and was loosely the basis for the Movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai."
Because nothing was known about what happened to the men, they were known as the "Lost Battalion" until they were released at the end of hostilities.
Today the fort presents a great way to learn about life at a frontier outpost. On the grounds are a reconstructed hospital, barracks and officers quarters, outfitted with both original and period correct items, as well as the Commander's residence, the only standing cottonwood officers quarters from the period in the U.S. And the twice daily guided tours allow visitors to get close to the actual items. You can see the original beds in the hospital, visit the pharmacy and see how they dispensed medicines. Or go into the Commander's quarters to see how the better half lived, while also experiencing the close quarters of the enlisted men's barracks.
On, and here's where the new part happens. I've started a YouTube channel! And I've kicked it off with a tour of the fort and some deeper background on the buildings, as well as a couple of stories (thanks, Darrell!)
Take a look and let me know what you think. Apologies in advance for the quality. This is a work in progress, and I'm not sure I want to keep it up, so I used what I had, rather than sink the bucks in to new equipment.
Stop right there! Since when have I passed up an excuse to buy new toys? I haven't, but I'm getting a little cheap in my old age.
Anyway, take a look and let me know.
Later, folks.
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